No secret, all of us here at TMG love Overwatch to death and it's likely our collective choice for Game of the Year. We've played regularly almost every night since launch and we'd like to think we have at least a good grasp of the mechanics and team synergy required to play Overwatch relatively successfully.

That said, I still find myself cringing a little when someone claims to have a "main." I admit, I fell into this mindset of having a main early on in the game as well. But I've come to realize I'm being more of a detriment to my team than an asset if I don't learn how to play other heroes, learn their intricacies and be at least competent with each one.

Now hang on, I know what your thinking - having a "main" doesn't necessarily mean you only play that hero (although there are people who do) and realistically, everyone has a favorite character they enjoy playing more than others, plus it's impossible for everyone to be good at every character in the game. However by putting yourself into this "main" mindset is detrimental to both yourself as a player and to your team.

You hold your team down

By insisting on playing a certain character, you force your team to build around your choice, even if it is sub-optimal. A Mercy isn't always going to be the best choice of healer, while a Pharah might not be effective on maps or areas without a distinct elevation advantage. Not playing for the team is being selfish, and while you might want to be the most pro-Junkrat in the world your teammates will probably wish you would pick something else from time to time when the situation calls for it.

You put yourself at a tactical disadvantage

By not embracing the hero switching mechanic of the game, your putting yourself into a bind. There are always going to be characters that you're better using than others, but if you are getting denied and stubbornly sticking to the same character, then you are not doing yourself any favors, nor your team.

Character switching is a thing. it's part of the game mechanics, so why ignore it?

You limit your understanding of the game

Again, I understand no one can be excellent with all the characters available, but I am of the opinion that having a good understanding of what each character can and cannot do is critical to success in this game, and the best way to learn that is to actually go and play them. A good example of this is characters such as Symmetra and Torbjorn who have stationary emplacements. By playing these characters, you learn where the best spots for turret placement are, and subsequently when you play AGAINST these characters you already know where to look and how best to approach them.

You get nervous when you can't play your "main"

Main Reaper but are asked to play tank? Your mind will work against you in such cases, and negative thinking generally will lead to negative performance.

Thankfully, getting out of this mindset is relatively easy, and it starts by improving your in-game flexibility.

Step out of your comfort zone in Quick Play

Trust me, as intimidating as this might be at first, you'll be helping yourself become a better player in the long run if you take the opportunity to try out as many of the characters in the game as possible. Not only will you improve your confidence in play, but your guaranteed to learn a few things that can help you when you play against those characters. Quick Play provides a great no-risk area where to learn other characters, so take advantage of it.

Main roles, not characters

Being a Mercy main is far different from being a support main. By saying you are a support main, it implies that you can be flexible in your role as support. If there is one specific role you enjoy playing, then try to diversify your character selection as well within that role. Knowing when Mercy needs to go and switch to Zenyatta against a tank heavy team or to a Lucio when you need more sustain will be seen and will be appreciated by your teammates.

Take the time to expand your borders a little and believe you me, the game will become all the more enjoyable for you.

These are my thoughts about The Division 2 after 20 hours of play. There’s still a lot to do after completing the story and i’m impressed with the journey to level 30. This looter shooter is currently on the positive side, which is rare for the subgenre, especially during launch week.

Since Borderlands 2, Ubisoft and Activision have proceeded to outspend 2K and Gearbox on every level imaginable to create online-only loot shooters like Destiny and Tom Clancy’s The Division. Even EA has gotten into the action with Anthem.

Our review of The Division 2 is currently underway and while it’s too soon to provide any kind of impression or feedback, I return from DC with a few tips for new agents entering the game for the first time when it goes live to the public this Friday.